Thursday, June 29, 2006

Our friends from Norway are here now after all the cleaning and tidying. So now it's all topsy turvy again with bags and clothes and food everywhere! A strange day, mostly waiting for texts and phone calls. Hazel did some more last minute tidying and cleaning. Her back is feeling better thankfully( she twisted her shoulder moving a settee at her Mom's). Archie went on a field trip with his special cleverclogs group to the Peak District national park in Derbyshire (or is it Yorkshire?). Anyway, he seemed to have enjoyed it and took lots of small films on my old digital camera which I gave him.Esther and kids (from Norway) drove from Scarborough, stopping off at Castle Howard and the village where Heartbeat is filmed. Heartbeat is very popular in Norway apparently!]They eventually got here at 8 in the evening and managed to park their big people carrier on the front of Mrs.Mather's. Lucky because the road was full up and no more parking spaces.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Here we are on Monday and I'm desperatley trying to remember what we did over the weekend. No boot sales alas but I did venture into town on Saturday for my usual mooch round the charity shops. I only found a video of Night Mail and Terminus- two great documentaries from the 30's and early 60's respectively.Night Mail made in 1936 is about the London to Scotland Postal Special which is no longer in use, hauled by the mighty "Seaforth Highlander" engine. The train carried no passengers but was manned by Post Office workers who sorted the mail onboard as it sped through english and scottish countryside. It features W.H. Auden reading "Night Mail" , a poem which is inspired by such a journey. The music is by Benjemen Britten and the film is directed by Basil Wright and Harry Watt under the auspices of John Grierson. The second film from 1961 is a documentary about the day in the life of Waterloo station by the young John Schlesinger who went on to make "A Kind Of Loving" a year later.

O yes, Hazel just reminded me- we did more cleaning and watched the football ( England beat Equador 2-0) and Archie went to seaside with James and his Mom ( Norht Wales) and the following day more cleaning and furniture moving at Granma's house as she's having some decorating done. Stripped some wallpaper. Hazel has done her back in , lifting heavy settee's etc. so has had today off work and missed the magical misery tour.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Hazel is having a mad cleaning day today as we have visitors next week. I was volunteered to clean up the big bookcase and chase the silver fish. Also the teetering pile ofvideos had to go from the side of the television - at least for now.I just found this amazing pavemnt artist online that does distorted views of objects and seen from the right angle they become almost three dimensional! Find him HERE.Have been taking some photos with my new snazzy camera. One of poppy? above. It's nice to take some close-ups as my other cheap camera didn't have that facility. Have given my old camera to Archie.Its quite nippy today- morelike October than June!O well better go and make myself useful.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

A nice day full of surprises and presents. So not so bad though the days of my bus pass and national health truss seem ever closer!Hazel got me a lovely new camera which I look forward to playing with. I charged up the battery and did some quick indoor shots but look forward to taking it out on a walk and using the macro facilty etc. Archie gave my a lovely book about Ripley's Believe It Or Not ( that I featured in some years ago - biggest rubber stamp) and a box of chocs. Many other goodies too -too many to mention. We went into town briefly to get some money and plenty of honey wrapped up in a five pound cake. I swapped the CD-R's for some others that were on a spindle and easier to use. Hazel bought some ice cube bags. Our friends from Norway are coming to stay soon so we are bulk buying to make sure we have enough for them. Not that they eat a lot but its embarressing to run out of things and we want to show them the sights, not the inside of Tescos and Aldi!This record sleeve of Big Maybelle is so great. It makes me smile just looking at it. the music is great too and soon to be featured on Boot Sale Sounds.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Just back from Manchester where we stayed the night in a noisy hotel right on one of the busiest roads. Last time we managed to get a quieter room at the rear but through some mix up got the noisiest. Had to send down for some ear plugs. Earlier I travelled up on the train with Archie in the afternoon after school and met Hazel in the studios. Nice to see some old freinds there too. It soon filled up though and was bursting at the seams later and very hot and humid. Nice to get outside to see the gypsy caravan which was one exhibit a student brought along to display her video installation ( about gypsies). She was from a gypsy family so knew all about it. Even two lurchers dozing by the camp fire.Some interesting work as usual and nice to put faces to the names Hazel often has told us about over the year. Musical background music was provied by a small brass band upstairs, in one corner of the studio and ousdie a gypsy violinist valiantly played despite being overwhelmed by the sound of the brass. After breakfast at a vegetarian cafe this morning we went and looked round the rest of the shows comprising the many arts courses at the MMU- foundation, sculpture, 3D design, emboidery, animation and illustration. Archie and I soon flagged and by lunchtime we went home. Hazel was looking after the exhibition so had to stay until 4 o'clock. It was nice to get home to our nice cool house after the hot and stuffy train.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

It's what all the footballers wives were wearing back in the 50's. Tattoos that looked like varocose veins were all the rage back then, as indeed they are now, or at least a nasty bruise.Sorry for letting this blog slide a bit - where did the week go? Two thirds through the first nail biting stage of the World Cup. We look like rubbish but manage to keep winning. I'm sure our luck won't last much longer, especially against teams like Spain and Brazil.Last weeks boot sale was quite good with a batch of new vinyl. One over at Swapatorium and several at Boot Sale Sounds. Hazel got some crochet hooks and a shoe stretchers which you can find HERE. Archie got a big bag of annuals including Topper and The Broons. Also a great racing game for PS2 where you can win money and add bits to your car to make it go faster ( like wheels). It's been very hot and humid but cooler now thankfully. It was even hot enough for a bar-b-Q outside and some lovely burnt vege sausages and smokey kebabs. The trouble is everyone else is outside too so it.s been very noisy at night with a firework display at one in the morning when England won their first game which was annoying. It's hard enough to get any sleep when the weather is so muggy. Also we have a birds nest just outside the bedroom window and they squawk away from sunrise to sunset.What else have we done? Archie went to the Science Museum at Runcorn or Warrington? today with the school. He seemed to enjoy it and bought home a clock that runs on water and some Flubber.We went to the open evening at the school a week ago and Archie got a good report from nearly everybody so pleased about that. Last night went to Dance Fusion evening where all the children did a dance of one kind or another. 20 of the kids in Archies class didn't turn up so only six of them doing a groovy hip-hop jazz beat tango type thing. Phew! It was hot in that school hall. I was gasping for a drink by the end of the evening. Pretty good standard of dance though and even the chubbier pupils had a go and threw themselves into it.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Despite predictions of a devilish nature the 6 of the 6- 06 turned out to be a nice day, for us anyway. After school Archie and I got the train to Manchester and met Hazel in Pizza Hut for a big stuffed crust pizza and salad. It was boiling hot on the train so arrived a bit frazzled but soon cooled down and went along to the Cornerhouse where Archie's animation "Gotto Wee" was being shown as part of the Exposures "Music 2R Eyes" night. We were hoping to meet Dear Eskiimo who's track Archie had chosen to animate but unfortunately the band were otherwise occupied. They had to move the screening to a larger cinema because of the demand for tickets so that was nice and all the films were interesting in some way or other. Archie's stood up very well against all the adults ( most film makers in their 20's and 30's) and he got lost of praise from the nice Cornerhouse staff and other folk. Afterwards had a drink in the bar and listened to a special performance by Gideon Conn who plays a kind of folk/alternative/hip hop brand of quirkiness which we all enjoyed. Hazel realised that she taught him about 10 years ago when he was a student on the foundation course in Manchester. She said he moved onto the sculpture course and lost touch , so nice to see what he was up to now. We stayed the night in the hotel just round the corner as we didn't want to rush home and we could go and see Hazel's exhibition at the MMU library the next day ( which is on until August). Had a big fried breakfast which was a mistake as I got heartburn later! The students are still putting up the third year shows so couldn't see those yet but will go again in a couple of weeks to see what they've been up to.Wen to Johnny Roadhouse music shop to get some 3D plectrums. Archie sells them to his guitar class chums. They have screaming skulls on and other heavy metal favourites!Then to town to look round the shops and pop into the Urbis museum but nothing much on there. We were getting hot and bothered by this time so got the train home in time for tea.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Yesterday we went over to Tatton Park for the Classic Car rally. It was Hazel's idea really. We went a few years ago and enjoyed it but didn't have a digital camera at the time so nice to be able to take a few snaps of the junk that piles up in all corners of the fields there. They call it Auto Jumble and it really is! See more at FLICKR.We had a nice picnic next to the car and went back again to look at all the old vans ( see above) and tanks, motorbikes, pink cadillacs, gypsy caravans, squirty daisy, crooked house, reliant robin, austin healey, rolls royce, jaguar, dogs of every description, ice creams, etc. etc. So much to look at. It gave me a headache. Maybe that was just the sun.Anyway, glad to get home in into out nice cool house for a cuppa.We did buy a few things. Archie got a telescopic magnet pen ( very useful for picking up small change) and a telescopic mirror on a stick ( for goodness knows what!). I got a bag of reject sticky tape. Some had the glue the wrong side! Hazel got some plants. All the "antique" car parts and oddments were hideously expensive. Hazel had her eye on a John Bull Puncture Repair Kit dispenser but it was twenty smackers. The sort of thing she'd buy at a car boot for a pound. Not that you ever see them, but you never know!

Saturday, June 03, 2006

It's this crazy heat - it gets to you after a while. Loofah's actually grow on trees, I've just discovered through watching that very funny programme QI on BBc 2. I always thought they came from outer space?Went to the town this morning for a walk and got quite hot with a jacket on - so took it off and carried it ( how wreckless!). Didnt find much in the way of bargains. Some bagels from Marks & Sparks. Hazel just read this over my shoulder and said "How fascinating - you got hot in your jacket!" Yes, I have plumbed new depths of uninterestingness!O.K. then how about making a Jackson Pollocky virtual painting like the one above, but I'm sure yours will be even better! Find out how to make one HERE. Thanks to Keith Bates for the link.I watched the football on the telly this afternoon ( England 6 - Jamaica 0) Seemed a bit one-sided to say the least. Quite boring to watch. Hazel and Archie went over to Granma's to do some weeding. Fascinating! It's the Classic Car rally thing at Tatton Park tomorrow so hopefully take lots of photos and make this blog a bit more interesting. I bet you can't wait! I blame the heat!

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Flobberlob

A kind of diary, a log, a ramble, nothing to do with the Flowerpot Men. My life as an artist, a collagist, a rubber stamper, a networker, a dad , a letter writer and a postcard maker. Observations about this and that in no particular order.

About Me

I grew up in the home counties around London during the 50's and 60's. Went to several art schools including Southend ,Chelsea and Manchester. Trained as a painter and printmaker but now mostly using collage. Collect novelty songs and old mail art amongst other things too numerous to mention.